Antithest

Chapter One

The standard uniform shirts for Antithests were white. Stark white with a small black lapel with the letter "A," etched in white letters for, you guessed it, Antithest.

They were stiff and hard to move in. They made my body look box shaped and wide. They reminded me of the nurses scrubs from the hospital my caretaker worked in every now and then when an epidemic would break out. The funny thing was, the government claimed that they treated us as "normal citizens" but we can't dress like normal citizens, go to the same educational facilities as normal citizens, or be anywhere near associated with normal citizens. The fairness was unruly.

So I sit here in journalism, pretending to be working diligently on the essay on the history on Antithetics I was assigned to do last week but have still not started the slightest bit. As the others tap on their hologram screens, I sit in the back cubicle with my stationary and ignore the weird expressions that are sent my way. I just turned my head. It's not like we could be friends anyways. Antithests weren't aloud to have friends because they distracted us from our main goal, to defeat the demons of our pasts and discover the wonders of the future. Our pasts were meant to be forgotten and soon enough, they would be. They just needed to distract us from our thoughts for long enough until they could finally bring us into the lab on our eighteenth birthdays and swipe half of our memories onto a slot card to be filed and never be seen again. Sometimes I wonder if I am the only one that remembers what my parents told me before they were taken away and sent to federal prison for mutiny, the reason I'm an Antithetic in the first place. They seem as if they don't, but then again how would I know? I've never spoken to them in my entire life. Or maybe we aren't all Antithetic for the same reason. Maybe they were children or relatives of criminals that just gave them too much information. Eventually, after their memory of past events have faded enough to be removed completely, they will move on to the next stage and become a doctor or a caretaker and forget about anything related to Antithicy that they have ever witnessed or came in contact with. At least that's what Dad told me.

I heard a sharp knock, then the door opened. Abel Rexford waltzed in, in all of his glory. He approached Mr. Povich with a slight smile on his face, spoke a few hushed words with him, and then Mr. Povich stiffened. I wasn't close enough to hear, but he looked... Astonished. Mr. Povich gestured to the back of the room and I stiffened.

"Indiana." Mr. Povich gestured at me in a "come here" motion with his hand. Every girl looked at me with envy. I gulped, slid out of my seat and shuffled toward the front desk. Abel looked at me and nodded, like he was somehow assessing the damage he was soon to cause.

"Retrieve your things. We're leaving."

"Why?" I looked up at him, at his sharp jaw and clear eyes. His father was the chancellor in our commune and he was looked at like he was the prince. The heir to the throne. I can see why. He fits the bill of a traditional story book character perfectly.

"I'll tell you in the car." He never looked down, only forward at what I was assuming to be the chipped paint spot on the wall behind Mr. Povich.

Where the hell is he taking me? The morgue, to identify my mother's corpse? Or to visit my father behind the bullet proof glass walls of his cell? I grabbed my shoulder bag and shoved the pen and leather bound journal inside. I turned around and slung it over my shoulder as I walked. Kai was already by the door, checking the time on his watch and then recrossing his arms. I don't think I've ever seen him in any other position.

We exited the room, walking in synchronization down the tiled halls. Each step closer to the door was agonizing. I needed to know where we were going.

"Where the hell are we going?" I stopped and turned to face his side. He just kept walking. "Hey!" I yelled and he stopped. He turned around and I watched his jaw tense before he spoke his next words.

"To visit the chancellor,"

"Why?" Not again. No. This is not going to happen again.

"To discuss some things that you know."

"Will you just tell me already?" I yelled. This whole situation was stressing me to the maximum length. I felt like a rubber band that was pulled too far and I'm about to pop back before I break.

"You know something you shouldn't, Indiana Kaine. And he intends to make sure you keep your damn mouth shut so you don't cause as much trouble as your idiot parents did when they found out the truth."